This invention relates to a propeller housing retainer for a marine propulsion device and more particularly to an improved arrangement for supporting a propeller shaft within the lower unit of a marine propulsion device.
In one common form of marine propulsion device there is incorporated a lower unit in which the propeller shaft and drive for the propeller shaft are contained. Normally, the propeller shaft is driven by a bevel gear train from a drive shaft which is, itself, also journaled within the lower unit. With this type of arrangement, it is a normal practice to employ a bearing carrier that is inserted into a rearwardly extending opening of the lower unit and which journals the propeller shaft. In accordance with such an arrangement, the bearing carrier is normally provided with a shoulder that faces and abuttingly engages a shoulder of the lower unit so as to hold the bearing carrier in place. Various arrangements have been proposed for holding the bearing carrier shoulder in abutment with the lower unit shoulder so as to axially position the bearing carrier within the lower unit. Although a number of arrangements have been proposed for this purpose, they all present a disadvantage in that they either cannot be easily assembled and disassembled or, alternatively, they do not ensure tight holding of the bearing carrier in place and, in some instances, may permit the bearing carrier to become misaligned in a direction radially of the propeller shaft.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved propeller housing retainer for a marine propulsion device.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved propeller shaft bearing carrier and mounting arrangement therefor for the lower unit of a marine propulsion device.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a improved construction for retaining a bearing carrier in a lower unit and which will prevent movement in all directions.